Living in the Meantime with Stephen Bauman

Stephen Bauman
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Biweekly

Engaging individuals and communities navigating life’s complexities with wisdom, purpose, and spiritual depth in our astonishingly chaotic historical moment. livinginthemeantime.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Reclamation Project

    As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Stephen Bauman reflects on a striking aspiration from George Washington: to possess the “firmness and virtue” necessary to maintain the character of an honest man. In a political culture where words like virtue, character, and honesty can feel almost antiquated, what might it mean to reclaim them? This reflection considers what we’ve lost in our common life—and the opportunity before us to call ourselves, once again, toward our better angels. Transcript: As election fever heats the body politic into a rolling boil, I burned my tongue on a sentiment George Washington expressed in a letter to Alexander Hamilton prior to his election as the first President of the United States. Reflecting on what lay ahead, Washington wrote, “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘honest man.’” Though I had read that quote decades ago, stumbling into it earlier this week startled my conscience. A stunning Wizard of Oz moment, pulling the curtain back on current cultural/political conditions. That one phrase discloses the enormity of what’s been lost to us. Let it situate in your mind, let it settle in: “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘honest man.’” That was our first President’s aspiration for a life well-lived. And by default, his aspiration for the launching of the brand-new nation he midwived. It sounds hopelessly old-fashioned, doesn’t it? So many words lost to us--words like, hope, virtue, character, honesty. Hard to hang on to the reality that our most successful public servants have embodied those things. That our culture, at its best, aspired to those values and said so out loud. That one public servant would write to another about his desire to live into his highest ideals. That virtue was an aspirational goal, shared by many, as the firm ground undergirding our common life. We would never do this perfectly, of course. Grave mistakes have been made over our 250 years. Yet historically we were never shy about calling ourselves back to listening to those famous better angels of our nature, the grounding first principals of our common life. Today, one thing’s clear. The 2026 midterm elections raise the curtain on the opportunity to begin to reclaim what’s been lost. Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Oct 14

    We Are What We Choose

    Freedom comes with responsibility. In this reflection, Stephen Bauman considers the darker side of our supposedly free digital marketplace—from addictive algorithms and AI slop to misinformation, pornography, and echo chambers. If the market gives us what we demand, what responsibility do we bear for what we consume? As the midterm elections approach, he argues that genuine freedom is found not simply in having endless choices, but in making responsible choices rooted in our highest values. Transcript:A large majority of American politicians and economists like to remind us that capitalism allows the most individuals the greatest levels of personal freedom. Following their logic, it’s interesting how many people say they are wildly dissatisfied with what the free market offers, say, within the cacophonous realm of electronic media. Who hasn’t fretted about our fracturing attention spans, so-called fake news, outright lies, AI slop, children’s safety, addictive algorithms etc. etc. But it’s important to remember that everything that comes streaming to us in our homes or on our phones is marketed in the same way as soap and toilet paper--its all supply and demand. Within our capitalist system we can hardly protest that we get what we ask for. The market gives us what we want, without regard for what we, or our children, say, may actually need. We may complain about the lousy fare that’s served up, the ubiquity of dehumanizing pornography, the echo chambers of reinforcing ignorance, the lack of intelligent debate etc. but very clearly, a hell of a lot of people are tuning in to all of it. As the midterm elections approach it bears repeating that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. In fact, I think we could argue, the highest cause of freedom is the freedom of responsible choice rooted in our most aspirational values. The superstructure upon which freedom hangs is made of the routine decisions and choices that each one of us makes day in and day out--the same way individual character is built. Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Oct 7

    Leadership

    What does it really mean to be a leader? Drawing on Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak, Stephen reflects on leadership not as a title or position, but as the influence each of us carries into the lives of others. In a world hungry for people of character, competence, and courage, he asks a deeply personal question: Are we using that influence to cast shadows—or to bear light? Transcript: I’ve lately been thinking about leadership, or the lack thereof, visible in our broader cultural, political context. Why we seem so bereft of exemplars--people of character, competence, and courage. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere, just not currently proactively visible. As I sit with this, I’m also aware that our concept of leadership can be quite pinched and narrowly defined as though it belongs to somebody else, persons who seek traditional so-called, leadership roles. But broadening our frame of reference I think all of us exert leadership in our world. All of us have an impact on our environment and the people who live within it. A small book by Parker Palmer entitled, Let Your Life Speak, addresses this. Palmer writes, “A leader is someone with the power to project either shadow or light onto some part of the world and onto the lives of the people who dwell there... I think of teachers... who shine a light that allows new growth to flourish, while others cast a shadow under which seedlings die. I think of parents... clergy... and CEOs... (employees) whose daily decisions are driven by inner dynamics, but who rarely reflect on those motives or even believe they are real.” This is good stuff. There is no doubt the world could use more light-filled leadership. However, I want to specify this as a matter of significant personal importance. So, the point reduces to this zerioed-in question: man, woman, spouse, parent, child employee, boss, citizen, friend -- are you, am I, more light-bearer of shadow-caster? Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Sep 30

    The Six Pillars of Character

    Every year, Congress recognizes National Character Counts Week, calling Americans to embrace six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. In this reflection, Stephen Bauman considers the striking gap between the values our leaders publicly champion and the behavior we often witness in public life. What happens when the people calling for character fail to embody it themselves? And what responsibility do the rest of us have? As another election approaches, Stephen invites us to take those six pillars seriously—not merely as ideals to teach our children, but as a framework for examining leadership, citizenship, and the choices we make at the ballot box. Transcript:I just learned that since 1993 the United States congress has designated one week in mid-October as “National Character Counts Week”. Reading through past resolutions we learn that congress has a very, very deep concern for nurturing the character of the nation’s children and citizens, by (and here I’m quoting directly from the congressional record) calling upon the people of the United States to (A) embrace the (six) elements of character identified as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship; and (B) to observe National Character Counts Week with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities. Have you ever heard of this? Doing a bit of research, I discovered that in 1992 a group of philosophers and educators met in the mountains of Colorado and produced what they called the Aspen Declaration which listed the six pillars of character transcending cultural, religious and socio-economic differences; those six pillars were subsequently embraced by congress every subsequent year with a resolution -- the pillars again: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Lest there be any confusion about what those words might mean, the originators provided clarifications. For instance, trustworthiness means: Be honest (in other words, don’t lie). Have integrity. Do what you’ll say you’ll do. Keep your promises. Be loyal by standing by your values. That’s what the U.S. congress admonishes. Given the source, is it at all surprising that we haven’t heard about this? The astonishing congressional hypocrisy framed by the adage, “What you do screams so loud I can’t hear what you say,” is so extreme as to suggest an alternative political universe. But thinking about this, I see an opportunity: in keeping with congress’s desire that we’ll observe National Character Counts Week with appropriate ceremonies and activities around this time of year, I suggest we all use the six pillars of character in deciding who should be serving in said congress come November 3rd and vote accordingly. Who says we’re powerless?! Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Sep 23

    Hardball

    What happens when success demands too much? Stephen reflects on the story of Dan, a successful banker faced with a choice between climbing the corporate ladder and being present for his sons. It’s a reminder that sometimes our priorities become clearest when we’re forced to decide what—and who—matters most. Transcript:I met Dan at an agency for homeless teenagers. I knew this full-time volunteer had achieved a high level of success in banking only to take a year’s leave to work with desperate kids. Late one night I asked him why. Dan said it came down to an exchange with his boss one Friday afternoon. Dan had promised himself he would spend Saturday with his two sons whom he rarely saw and sorely missed. His boss said an important meeting had been called for ten the next morning. Dan told him he promised the day to his boys. His boss immediately shot back that if Dan wished to stay part of the team, he’d have to change his attitude. If he was really serious about his career, his boys would have to raise themselves. However, Dan would be the best damn provider they could ever want or need! Dan said that when it was put to him that way, his decision was really quite easy. His life issues had never been in sharper focus. He was grateful for the opportunity to say that on Saturday he would be playing hardball on another field. Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Sep 16

    Breakthrough

    From the surprisingly early beginnings of puberty to our culture’s fascination with adults who behave like children, Stephen reflects on how little we truly understand about human development—and wonders whether our greatest breakthrough might be learning why growing older doesn’t always mean growing up. Transcript: I don’t know if it’s good news or bad, but I’ve read that scientists report that contrary to everyday wisdom, the onslaught of puberty may actually begin around the age of 7 or so. Evidence suggests that like most other aspects of human development, sexuality is more a process than an event that hits around the age of thirteen. And scientists say that process beings in middle childhood with a shift in hormone balances. Come to think of it, this could account for my infatuation with my fourth-grade teacher, Miss Coy, whose name had a striking resonance with her manner. I don’t know whether this window into human maturation leads to any breakthroughs in medicine, teaching or parenting, but with it I’m reminded how very little we really know about very many things. What I long for is the day our scientists can provide a bit of wisdom on why our culture is infatuated with seemingly fully developed adults who act out with about the same amount of maturity as seven-year-olds. Now that would be a real breakthrough! Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Sep 10

    Lessons on 9/11

    On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Stephen reflects on the fear, anger, and profound vulnerability exposed by that terrible day—and on what 25 years of rebuilding can teach us now. From the collapse of our illusions of power and invulnerability to the remarkable renewal of New York City, this reflection asks where our truest strength is found. The past does not have to dictate our future. Even from the rubble, life can emerge—and life and love will have the day, if we choose them. 9/11 The 25th anniversary of “9/11” triggers the terrible memory of a beautiful, cloudless Tuesday morning turned ugly by billowing stacks of smoke erupting from the tip of my island home. Within hours a silent, soot-besmeared remnant from lower Manhattan slowly walked north on avenues eerily bereft of cars, and then, nothing. Silence—the city was silent -- except for low streaking fighter jets searching for unknown enemies. It was as though we Manhattanites had collectively stepped through the scrim of a post-apocalyptic film for real. With the distance of 25 years, we’ve gained at least a little clarity on how the initial all-for-one, one-for all communal bonding, gave way to unbridled anger and disorientation that shaped our civic life into a hugely mistaken forever-war. In the meantime, I’ve been aware that a profound spiritual truth exposed on that day strains to remain in our conscious awareness. This truth is revealed in the targets themselves: two of the then mightiest symbols of power and wealth in the world were brought crashing down to their foundations. In the world’s financial capital no amount of money made any difference at all as the towers fell. None. No accomplishment, no fame or notoriety, no amount of preplanned security, no level of striving for comfort, no access to power—none of this made the slightest bit of difference when the towers came down in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the world. The most impressive and powerful works of humanity mattered nothing at all, which deeply unnerved those who thought our power and might had made us invulnerable. And that loss of control and veneer of invulnerability fed our collective anger, to our moldering detriment, since we’re now chewing our democracy to bits in amplified waves of anger, resentment and tribalism. The spiritual truth that’s still available to us remembering that terrible day is the recognition that our truest strength is, and always has been, located somewhere else. Humanity’s originating heresy has always been idolatry, and its modern companion, narcissism. As David Foster Wallace famously and wisely observed with graduating collegiates some years ago: “Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” But here’s another truth. In the 25 years since, Manhattan’s entire Westside from the George Washington Bridge to the World Trade Center site has been transformed. Cranes and development everywhere. Housing and neighborhoods sprouting where only rotting docks and shipyards and derelict buildings had defined the riverside. The austere and lifeless canyons once known as the financial district have been entirely remade into residential communities with grocery stores and playgrounds. It is pricey real estate to be sure--there’s a whole lot of work to be done on that economic front. But still, out the rubble, life erupted. Newcomers and GenZers will take this for granted. Old-timers can only marvel at the signs of life renewed. Here’s the lesson: There is always, always, tomorrow, and then the day after that, which, for the spiritually alert also points to the location of our truest strength, to the author of life and love and energizing hope as antidote to our crippling narcissism. Here’s the takeaway: Life and love will have the day, if we choose it. That they’re woven into the fabric of creation--even in you and me--is what I believe. Despite current conditions, we have been given agency to participate in framing our future. The past does not dictate how we’ll choose to live in the present moment. Look about and everywhere there’s opportunity to participate in reweaving the fabric of our human community. Right where each one of us lives. Right there. Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Sep 2

    Blockbusters & Mentors

    A single movie, a curious mind, and the encouragement of a gifted teacher can alter the course of a life. Reflecting on his first encounter with 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stephen remembers the mentors who awakened his love of ideas and set him on a path of lifelong learning—and offers a heartfelt tribute to the teachers who continue to cultivate curiosity in the next generation. It was the summer after my sophomore year in high school, 1968. My brother was home from the Air Force Academy, and we wandered into a brand new, big screen, cinemascope blockbuster called 2001: A Space Odyssey. I didn’t know what I was going to see that night, and I can’t say what, exactly, happened to me in the theater, but I left different than when I entered. Shaken, bewildered, astonished. Not quite sixteen years old, I was ripe for a kick-in-the-head experience that could awaken my capacity to think big and bold. And this movie proved just the ticket. Already an active reader, ideas began to capture and excite my attention as never before. That fall a young English teacher picked up on my newfound mental agitation and rose to his mentoring heights in planting the seeds that kept this young guy thinking right through to the present moment. His name was Rick Berkoff and unfortunately died too soon 15 years ago. But I became an instant fan of science fiction, which in turn spurred an interest in novels and nonfiction of every sort. Through the alchemy of a raw, awakened mind and the initial commitment of a mentor, I was set on a path of lifelong learning. This memory returned to me with this summer’s release of Christopher Nolan’s IMAX blockbuster Odysseus, which, I confess, I’ve not yet seen. But, reading about Nolan’s directorial style and intent, I’m guessing volumes of the original story are flying off the shelves of booksellers everywhere, some of which have likely fallen into the hands of curious teenagers. With the end of summer comes the start of a new school year and I’m filled with warm gratitude for the long line of mental mentors who cultivated my curiosity over the years. I don’t know who I would have become without them. Teachers are an essential component of our national infrastructure holding immense responsibility for the mentoring of our children. And God knows they have a complicated time of it these days. I hold them in very high regard. And I make it a practice, in a quiet moment of spiritual reflection, to say the names aloud of the those who’ve been important to me over the years, as I’m now sharing with you. Get full access to Living in the Meantime at livinginthemeantime.substack.com/subscribe

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Engaging individuals and communities navigating life’s complexities with wisdom, purpose, and spiritual depth in our astonishingly chaotic historical moment. livinginthemeantime.substack.com

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